Tree City USA

Tree City USA/Arbor Day

In 2015, the Borough of Emerson will be marking its tenth consecutive year as a Tree City, USA. A testament to the Shade Tree Commission’s hard work and devotion to community forestry, the honor is bestowed by the National Arbor Day Foundation to municipalities throughout the country. One of the requirements for qualification for Tree City status is an annual Arbor Day ceremony, which is celebrated in Emerson on the last Saturday in April with a planting of a tree on Borough property. In the past, the Commission has planted trees in memory of Borough volunteers, including longtime Commission chairman and tree inspector, Jim Wagner, and Borough co-historian and Environmental Commission member, Muriel Wassmann.

Beginning in 2012, as part of the annual tree planting ceremony, the Shade Tree Commission began honoring the memory of any Emerson resident or former resident who passed away since the previous Arbor Day. The residents’ names are read during the ceremony and family members are given the opportunity to say a few words in their memory. A copy of the original program is provided as a keepsake of the ceremony. Family members who would like to have a loved one so honored can contact the Shade Tree Commission via the Borough Clerk’s office.